Wild fires can be devastating to communities where high winds, low humidity, and high temperatures prevail. In populated regions of the U.S. that have extended periods of low rain and low humidity, such as e.g., California, wildfires are a perennial concern. Thousands of homes over the past several years had been consumed by wildfires in California e.g., the Oakland firestorm of 1991, the California wildfires of 1993, 2003, 2008 and the California firestorm of 2007. In fact, six of the twenty five most costly fires in U.S. history have been attributed to California wildfires. Property damage from these disasters alone totaled in excess of $7.4 billion (see e.g., J. B. Davis Journal of Forestry 88 (1990) 26-31; S. F. McDonald, et al., Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 16 (1997) 1370-1376).
Due to its low cost and wide availability, water is the most widely used fire retardant/extinguisher. Unfortunately the use of water to provide fire protection is limited by the fact of its low viscosity which can e.g., lead to excessive run-off. Indeed, it is estimated that as much as 92% of the water used to extinguish a fire is simply lost due to runoff (see e,g., E. W. Figiel, et al., Fire retardant foam and gel compositions, National Starch and Chemical Investment Holding Corporation (New Castle, Del., US), United States, 2006).
To counter the problem of runoff associated with the use of water as a fire retardant, gelling agents such as e.g., sodium bentonite have been added to water in an attempt to increase viscosity and reduce runoff. Unfortunately, sodium bentonite does not adhere well to surfaces as it dries and thus with time, has a tendency to slump off structures or objects to which it is applied.
Thus, there is a need in the art for more effective means of preventing damage to building structures and/or other objects which are the result of fire or excessive heat.
Fortunately, the present invention provides for these and other needs.